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When I ventured to the Great Barrier Reef off the north eastern shore of Australia, I fell in love with the region, the sea creatures and the lifestyle.

After meeting Christian Miller at the Sea Turtle Recovery Centre on Fitzroy Island near Cairns, I understood what true passion is all about. For Miller, saving this planet starts with saving the sea turtle.

“I worked as a dive instructor most of my life,” Miller said as he used an amazing $15,000 underwater camera to follow a sick Hawksbill around its pool. “I got into it for my extreme passion for the underwater world. I worked on environmental projects around the world for years, but always coming back to Australia. I wanted to be actively involved in marine conservation. My biggest passion is sharks, but it is very hard to get the public to like sharks. I was thinking the sea turtle is almost like the perfect tool to educate people.”

“The Turtle Rehab project started in 2010,” Miller said. “Just before Cyclone Yasi there were seven turtle nests along the Fitzroy beaches. Jenny Gilbert (co founder) and I were able to save 21 turtles from one nest, and then we built the new centre.”

What makes Miller unique is his skill with a camera. An artist since boyhood, he won major European art awards as a teenager. He rarely dives without an underwater digital camera.

“I was lucky to shoot in some remote locations, such as the Amazon. My experience got me to be part of National Geographic and BBC productions and several research expeditions. Then I started studio photography and in the last two years I realized that my artistic roots had to merge with my photographic skills. Now I want to create art that can help save marine life.”

The rescue centre’s pools house turtles in recovery. Some have lost flippers to boat propellers, while others have swallowed plastic debris that fouls much of the world’s oceans today, mistaking it for their favourite food; jellyfish. Each will be released when healed.

“Here, at the rehab centre at Fitzroy,” Miller said, “people can get up close to them. They are cute and everybody loves them; children love them. When we release a turtle back to the wild, we have a large audience and hopefully this inspires a lot of people to take care for our oceans, and eventually save more than turtles. I strongly believe that if we can involve youth, finding ways to get them closer to and feel passionate about nature again, we can make a difference in the long run.”

If you are passionate about sea turtles or the marine environment, log on to saveourseaturtles.com.au to see how you can help. The world will thank you for it.

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Sea turtle saviour hopes to rescue more than just reptiles

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